System and method for hybrid network data consumption tracking in a wireless network

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are systems and methods for intelligent, real-time network consumption tracking and traffic steering in fifth-generation (5G) networks via a network configuration and implementation. The disclosed hybrid network traffic steering is effectuated by using Diameter Routing Agent (DRA) and Subscriber Location Function (SLF) to route/steer fourth-generation (4G) network traffic by 5G subscribers to a 5G Charging Function (CHF) for 4G fallback network consumptions. Network currency consumption tracking is performed by the 5G CHF. The CHF dictates policy rules for 5G networks via the Policy Control Function (PCF) of the 5G Core, and dictates policy rules for 4G networks via the Policy and Charging Rules Functions (PCRF) for fallback sessions.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of, and claims priority from,co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/213,442, filed Mar. 26,2021, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR HYBRID NETWORK DATA CONSUMPTIONTRACKING IN A WIRELESS NETWORK, the contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

With the increased availability of fifth-generation (5G) networks,network providers are currently deploying network functions to provisionsubscribers (or users, used interchangeably) to both fourth-generation(4G) networks and 5G networks. However, the limits in the networks'configurations and the provisioning to both 4G and 5G networks, as wellas the computational deficiencies available under standard-based networkfunctions may lead to less than optimal coverage and/or a reduction ofthe accuracy of data consumption being tracked.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features, and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from thefollowing description of embodiments as illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which reference characters refer to the same partsthroughout the various views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale,emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating principles of thedisclosure:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example network architecture accordingto some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example embodiment of network data consumptiontracking and policy management architecture according to someembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example embodiment of the network data consumptiontracking and policy management architecture according to someembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example embodiment of an intelligent networkcurrency consumption counter according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example embodiment of an intelligent networkcurrency consumption counter according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example embodiment of policy management accordingto some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary data flow for network steering for afallback session according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a computing device showing anexample of a client or server device used in various embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Managing subscribers network data consumption in two different networks,inclusive of tracking and monitoring activity with and between eachnetworks elements and functions, may lead to problems with networktracking capabilities. Currently, network providers provisionsubscribers' network service for both 4G and 5G networks (e.g., 4G Coreand 5G Core, respectively).

For example, when a 5G beam is steered to a subscriber, and it isdetermined that the subscriber is either: i) out of range (e.g., the 5GRadio/RAN is unavailable); and/or ii) the 5G Core and Edge Network isunavailable to handle the subscriber's session, the provider may switchto providing the subscriber with 4G network functionality. This isreferred to as a “fallback” session. The consumptions for that fallbacksession are routed from the 4G network elements to the 5G networkelements.

Conventional network configurations bifurcate a subscriber's networkexperience based on network currency consumption counters and subscriberpolicy rules that are specific to 4G and 5G networks. The networkconsumption currency counter is split between a 4G Online ChargingFunction (OCS) at a rate of X % and a 5G Charging Function (CHF) at arate of Y %. For 4G networks, subscriber policy rules are managed byPolicy and Charging Rules Functions (PCRF) using the OCS (e.g., “policyand charging” is managed by PCRF and OCS). For 5G networks, subscriberpolicy rules are managed by Policy Control Functions (PCF) using the CHF(e.g., “policy and charging” is managed by PCF and CHF). This bifurcatednetwork experience may lead to a degraded quality of service (QoS),which may occur if either the 4G network's or 5G network's currencyconsumption counter is exhausted.

Conventional 4G/5G network availability is based on externally-basedsystems that enact custom rules to separate 4G network data consumptionsby 5G subscribers. Current 4G and 5G networks utilize different networkelements for managing and allocating their respective network currencyconsumption counters. This leads to a buffered and delayed tracking ofnetwork currency consumptions for a subscriber (e.g., non-real-time),and requires a periodic reconciliation and synchronization in order tomaintain the accuracy between the elements of the 4G and 5G networks.

To solve the aforementioned and other problems, the disclosed systemsand methods provide a network configuration and implementation fornetwork traffic steering. According to embodiments of the presentdisclosure, the disclosed network traffic steering may be implemented byusing a Diameter Routing Agent (DRA) and/or a Subscriber LocationFunction (SLF) to route/steer 4G network traffic by 5G subscribers to 5GCHF for 4G fallback network data consumptions.

For fallback sessions, rather than utilizing the 4G OCS, as inconventional systems, network currency consumption tracking (in 4G) isperformed by the 5G CHF. Thus, 4G OCS is not required. The disclosedsystems and methods may provide for intelligent, real-time networkconsumption counter management by and between 4G and 5G networks throughthe internal elements of the 5G network (e.g., the CHF). In someembodiments, the CHF may dictate policy rules for 5G networks via thePCF, and may dictate policy rules for 4G networks via the PCRF.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example network architecture accordingto some embodiments of the present disclosure. In the illustratedembodiment, user equipment (UE) 102 accesses a data network 108 via anaccess network 104 and a core network 106. In the illustratedembodiment, UE 102 comprises any computing device capable ofcommunicating with the access network 104. As examples, UE 102 mayinclude mobile phones, tablets, laptops, sensors, Internet of Things(IoT) devices, autonomous machines, and any other devices equipped witha cellular or wireless or wired transceiver. One example of a UE isprovided in FIG. 8.

In the illustrated embodiment, the access network 104 comprises anetwork allowing over-the-air network communication with UE 102. Ingeneral, the access network 104 includes at least one base station thatis communicatively coupled to the core network 106 and wirelesslycoupled to zero or more UE 102.

In some embodiments, the access network 104 comprises a cellular accessnetwork, for example, a fifth-generation (5G) network or afourth-generation (4G) network. In one embodiment, the access network104 and UE 102 comprise a NextGen Radio Access Network (NG-RAN). In anembodiment, the access network 104 includes a plurality of nextGeneration Node B (gNodeB) base stations connected to UE 102 via an airinterface. In one embodiment, the air interface comprises a New Radio(NR) air interface. For example, in a 5G network, individual userdevices can be communicatively coupled via an X2 interface.

In the illustrated embodiment, the access network 104 provides access toa core network 106 to the UE 102. In the illustrated embodiment, thecore network may be owned and/or operated by a mobile network operator(MNO) and provides wireless connectivity to UE 102. In the illustratedembodiment, this connectivity may comprise voice and data services.

At a high-level, the core network 106 may include a user plane and acontrol plane. In one embodiment, the control plane comprises networkelements and communications interfaces to allow for the management ofuser connections and sessions. By contrast, the user plane may comprisenetwork elements and communications interfaces to transmit user datafrom UE 102 to elements of the core network 106 and to externalnetwork-attached elements in a data network 108 such as the Internet.

In the illustrated embodiment, the access network 104 and the corenetwork 106 are operated by an MNO. However, in some embodiments, thenetworks (104, 106) may be operated by a private entity and may beclosed to public traffic. For example, the components of the network 106may be provided as a single device, and the access network 104 maycomprise a small form-factor base station. In these embodiments, theoperator of the device can simulate a cellular network, and UE 102 canconnect to this network similar to connecting to a national or regionalnetwork.

In some embodiments, the access network 104, core network 106 and datanetwork 108 can be configured as a multi-access edge computing (MEC)network, where MEC or edge nodes are embodied as each UE 102, and aresituated at the edge of a cellular network, for example, in a cellularbase station or equivalent location. In general, the MEC or edge nodesmay comprise UEs that comprise any computing device capable ofresponding to network requests from another UE 102 (referred togenerally as a client) and is not intended to be limited to a specifichardware or software configuration a device.

In FIG. 2, system 200 is illustrated and provides a non-limiting exampleembodiment of network data consumption tracking and policy managementarchitecture according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Asdiscussed in relation to FIG. 2, and below in relation to FIGS. 3-7,system 200 is a hybrid network traffic steering system that eliminatesthe need for executing a dual-mode 4G and 5G connectivity for asubscriber, and further eliminates the need for the usage and relianceon the OCS and OFCS of the 4G Core when executing a fallback session.Moreover, system 200 eliminates the need and reliance on the externalsystem for computing consumption records, thereby enabling a real-timetracking of network currency consumption for subscribers.

System 200 depicts UE 102, 4G Core 202 and 5G Core 204. The 4G Core 202includes, inter alia, Serving GateWay (SGW), Packet GateWay (PGW), PCRF,OCS and Offline Charging Function (OFCS). In system 200, the 4G Core 202is modified to further include a Diameter Routing Agent/SubscriberLocation Function (DRA/SLF) component. The DRA/SLF of the 4G Core 202 isin communication with the CHF of the 5G Core 204.

The 5G core 204 includes, inter alia, user plane function (UPF), sessionmanagement function (SMF), PCF and CHF. In system 600, the 5G Core 204is modified to be able to directly communicate with the DRA/SLF of the4G Core 602.

The configuration of system 200, particularly the interplay between theCHF and the DRA/SLF of the 4G Core 202, enables system 200 to providefor network data consumption tracking both 4G and 5G networks by the CHFusing DRA/SLF based traffic steering (e.g., traffic steering based oninternational mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) and/or MDN). Thisconfiguration enables network data consumption tracking to be performedwithin the network in a real-time manner by the CHF, and as a result, noexternal system is required for tracking either 4G or 5G activity ofsubscribers.

FIG. 3 depicts system 300, which is a further example of system 200 andprovides additional details that illustrate the components andconfiguration of the instant disclosure.

System 300 depicts UE 10202, 4G Core 302, DRA/SLF 304, 5G Core 306, nCHFRouter 308 and 5G CHF 310. As illustrated, the 4G Core 302 includesfunctionality for, but is not limited to, voice consumption limits,roaming, Voice over LTE (VoLTE) data, Voice and Video, SMS messaging andMMS Messaging, which are provided by components that include, but arenot limited to, PCRF, SGW, PGW, Telephony Application Server (TAS),short message service center (SMSC) and multimedia messaging service(MMSC).

According to some embodiments, the components of the 4G Core 302communicate their respective information to the DRA/SLF 304. Forexample, as discussed below, the PCRF communicates data referenced asSy; SGW and PGW, respectively, communicate data referenced as Gy; andTAS communicate data referenced as Ro. In some embodiments, the DRA/SLF304 implements 3GPP diameter signaling of the received data (e.g., Gy,Ro, Sy), and communicates with the 5G CHF 310 (e.g., sends and receivesdata from the CHF).

In system 300, the PCRF is provisioned with 5G subscribers as onlineonly consumption tracking. In some embodiments, PCRF provides onlineconsumption tracking to PGW; PGW routes the traffic using Gy interfaceto DRA; PCRF interfaces with DRA to obtain the consumption limit detailsfrom CHF using diameter interface (Sy); and DRA identifies the instanceof CHF using SLF.

With regard to TAS (e.g., IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) Core), in system300, 5G subscriber profiles are provisioned in a TAS repository withonline only consumption tracking. In some embodiments, TAS routes thetraffic to DRA for all 5G subscriber voice calls based on MDN or IMSI;and DRA identifies the instance of CHF using SLF.

With regard to PGW, in system 300, PGW interfaces with DRA/SLF usingdiameter interface and sends consumption records to CHF via DRA/SLF.

With regard to DRA/SLF, with its introduction and inclusion to system300 (and system 200, as mentioned above), DRA/SLF maintains the hostinformation for both 4G OCS and 5G CHF. DRA/SLF routes all 5G subscribertraffic to CHF based on IMSI and/or MDN for consumption tracking.

With regard to CHF, CHF supports 5G Service Based Interfaces (SBI). Asshown in system 300, CHF supports diameters: Gy for PGW, Sy for PCRF andRo for TAS—to interface with DRA. CHF further supports and providesconsumption tracking for both 4G and 5G traffic in a real-time manner(e.g., as it is occurring). And, as discussed below in reference to atleast FIGS. 4 and 5, consumptions can be bucketed (e.g., stored inhosted or associated data structures) in an individualized or sharedmanner.

According to some embodiments, the PCF and SMF, respectively, outputNChf data to the nCHF Router 308, which is a router interface thatprovides a service for offline and online charging. The nCHF Router308's output is then sent to the 5G CHF 310. This configuration enablesnetwork data consumption tracking to be performed internally, within thenetwork, in a real-time manner by the CHF (e.g., 5G CHF 310).

FIG. 4 provides a non-limiting example embodiment of an intelligentnetwork currency consumption counter according to some embodiments ofthe present disclosure. FIG. 4 illustrates individual bucketization for4G consumption and 5G consumption where a network currency consumptioncounter is shared for each network. The disclosed systems and methodsprovide a “common” counter for a subscriber's network experience (5Gand/or 4G data tracking for a period of time).

In some embodiments, the common network consumption counter for asubscriber is provisioned only in CHF at a predetermined amount (e.g.,20 GB). In some embodiments, incoming consumptions are segregated basedon 4G and 5G interfaces.

For example, a sample use case is depicted for a sample set of days: day0, item 402; day 5, item 404; and day 15, item 406 for a cycle of asubscriber's service. In this example, the common counter is 20 GB,where 10 GB is allocated to each network, respectively.

On day 0, item 402, no data is being consumed or tracked. At day 5, item404, each network has realized a 5 GB consumption record (total of 10/20GB). On day 15, item 406, the subscriber has consumed 10 GB on the 4Gnetwork, and 5 GB on the 5G network (total of 15/20 GB).

As discussed above, without implementing the disclosed functionality andconfiguration of systems 600/700, on day 15, item 406, when thesubscriber reaches the 4G consumption limit of 10 GB, the subscriber's5G speed (and in some embodiments, 4G speeds) may be deprioritized. Thismay occur in existing systems despite there still being availableconsumption overall as well as under the 5G network.

However, based on the functionality provided by the CHF dictatingconsumption records in accordance with the disclosed systems and methodsdiscussed herein, there is no speed deprioritization until the commoncounter is exhausted. That is, only when the remaining 5 GB left on thecounter (from day 15, item 406) is consumed may the subscriber's speedbe deprioritized.

For example, for a 30 day service period, the subscriber would have 15days remaining to use the 5 GB before his/her speeds may bedeprioritized. Should the subscriber not reach the 20 GB counter limit,then on day 31, the service period resets back to “day 0” and the fulldata consumption limit becomes available again.

In some embodiments, when a subscriber is involved in a fallbacksession, and is regulated to 4G connectivity, regardless of the reason,the common counter for network data consumption may be tolled (eitherfor a time period or until 5G connectivity is available again). Thus, insome embodiments, their activity on the 4G network does not counttowards their quota for the time period (e.g., the available data tothem for a service time period—for example, one month). This embodimentis also applicable to the shared bucketization discussed below inrelation to FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 provide a non-limiting example of shared bucketization. Ratherthan having individual buckets for a 4G and 5G network, here eachnetwork shares the same bucket. This provides similar functionality tothe bucketing discussed above in FIG. 4; yet, adds functionality forincoming consumptions to be bucketed into a common bucket.

For example, in a similar manner as discussed above in relation to FIG.4, a sample use case is depicted for a sample set of days: day 0, item502; day 5, item 504; and day 15, item 506 for a cycle of a subscriber'sservice. In this example, the common, shared consumption counter is 20GB.

On day 0, item 502, no data is being consumed or tracked. At day 5, item504, a total of 10 GB has been consumed on at least one of the 4G and 5Gnetworks. On day 15, item 506, the subscriber has consumed a total of 15GB on at least one of the 4G and 5G networks.

Thus, in a similar manner as discussed above, there may be no speeddeprioritization until the common counter is exhausted. For example,only when the remaining 5 GB left on the counter (from day 15, item 506)is consumed would the subscriber's speed be deprioritized.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example embodiment of policy management 600according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. PolicyManagement 600 begins with the creation of a 5G session request (602),which as illustrated in FIG. 6, is communicated to the SMF, which thenperforms the PCF discovery. This involves a 5G session policy fetchwhich is communicated to the PCF (604). In response, the Unified datarepository (UDR) fetches the subscriber's 5G policy data (606), whichthe PCF then communicates back to the SMF (608).

Policy Management 600 then performs CHF discovery for the 5G session,which involves the PCF sending a 5G subscriber consumption limit detailsrequest to the CHF (610). In response, the CHF sends the PCF a 5Gsubscriber consumption limit details response (612). The 5G subscriberconsumption limit details includes information related to availablebandwidth for the subscriber, amount of upload and download speeds, andconsumption availability, as discussed above.

Policy Management 600 also involves the creation of a 4G session (614)(e.g., a fallback session, as discussed above). Here, a 4G subscriberpolicy request is sent by the PGW to the PCRF (616), where a policyreturn is provided accordingly (618). The PCRF then sends a 4Gsubscriber consumption limit details request to the DRA/SLF (620), whichrelays this to the CHF (622). The CHF then sends the DLA/SLF a 4Gsubscriber consumption limit details response (624), which is thenrelayed back to the PCRF (626). In a similar manner to the 5G subscriberconsumption limit details, the 4G subscriber consumption limit detailsincludes information related to available bandwidth for the subscriber,amount of upload and download speeds, and consumption availability. Insome embodiments, the consumption limit details discussed herein canindicate a spending limit as a counter value, which the PCF translatesto a QoS.

Turning to FIG. 7, Process 700 provides an exemplary data flow fornetwork steering for a fallback session according to some embodiments ofthe present disclosure. Process 700 is a data flow of the operationsperformed according to policy management 600 of FIG. 6 discussed above.

Process 700 begins with Step 702 where a 5G network session for asubscriber is created or initiated. In some embodiments, this can be inaccordance with, but not limited to, a subscriber signing up for aservice plan, a new service period beginning, a user entering (orre-entering) a geographic location where 5G network connectivity isavailable, a subscriber switching to or using a 5G device for his/herservice, and the like, or some combination thereof.

According to some embodiments, the creation of the 5G session involvesthe identification and allocation of a common network currencyconsumption counter. In some embodiments, the counter can be identifiedas part of the policy identified in Step 704 (or the consumption limitdetails of Step 706). As discussed above in FIG. 8, this counter can bein relation to individualized buckets for 4G and 5G networks, with ashared/common counter; or, as discussed above in relation to FIG. 7, thecounter can be in relation to a shared bucket with a shared/commoncounter.

In Step 704, a 5G policy for the subscriber is retrieved. The retrievalis performed in a similar manner as discussed above in relation to FIG.6. In some embodiments, the policy corresponds to an account of a person(who can use any device), and in some embodiments, the policycorresponds to a specific device of the person (e.g., his/hersmartphone).

In Step 706, 5G subscriber consumption limit details are retrieved. Theretrieval is performed in a similar manner as discussed above inrelation to FIG. 6. For example, as mentioned above, the 5G subscriberconsumption limit details can correspond to a data consumption limit,which is an amount of data a subscriber is capable of consuming viatheir UE for a given time period (e.g., a service period) before theirspeeds are deprioritized (e.g., throttled).

For example, as discussed above in relation to FIGS. 4 and 5, aconsumption limit detail can indicate a maximum value of data availablefor to be consumed—for example, 20 GB over 4G and 5G networks (as ashared counter).

In Step 708, the subscriber's 5G network activity is monitored. Anexample of such monitoring is illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, as discussedabove. In some embodiments, the monitoring involves tracking the networkdata consumption of the subscriber under the 5G and 4G networks, asdiscussed herein.

According to some embodiments, the monitoring can involve analyzing asubscriber's network activity to determine whether a criteria has beensatisfied that causes a fallback session to be instituted. The criteriacan include, inter alia, whether 5G coverage is available, whethercertain limits of data consumption have been satisfied (e.g., has 20 GBof data been consumed, or has 10 GB allotted to the 5G Core been used),and the like, or some combination thereof.

Should the monitoring result in any of the above conditions where 5Gconnectivity is no longer available (e.g., no 5G coverage based on auser's location, and/or the subscriber has reached a counter limit ondata consumption for the 5G Core), then Process 700 proceeds to Step710, where a fallback session is instituted. The fallback sessioncorresponds to the subscriber being provided 4G network connectivity inaccordance with the remaining/available currency counter consumptionavailability. The fallback session is instituted and performed in asimilar manner as discussed above in relation to FIG. 6's disclosure ofthe 4G session request creation.

In some embodiments, rather than initiating the 4G session at the timeof the fallback session determination (e.g., Step 710), Step 702 mayfurther include initiating a 4G session in addition to the 5G session.This can occur at a time proximate to the 5G session's institution(e.g., at the same time or within a threshold amount of time from the 5Gsession request or its institution). This can streamline the networkoffloading occurring as the connection may already be established andawaiting the subscriber's connection to apply the 4G policy inaccordance with the 4G consumption limit details.

In some embodiments, Process 700 recursively proceeds from Step 710 toStep 708 to monitor activity on the 4G network, and to further monitorthe availability of the 5G network. In some embodiments, should the 5Gnetwork become available again, the subscriber can be reallocated to the5G network (e.g., when a subscriber re-enters a region where 5G isavailable).

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a computing device showing anexample of a client or server device used in the various embodiments ofthe disclosure.

The computing device 800 may include more or fewer components than thoseshown in FIG. 8, depending on the deployment or usage of the device 800.For example, a server computing device, such as a rack-mounted server,may not include audio interfaces 852, displays 854, keypads 856,illuminators 858, haptic interfaces 862, GPS receivers 864, orcameras/sensors 866. Some devices may include additional components notshown, such as graphics processing unit (GPU) devices, cryptographicco-processors, artificial intelligence (AI) accelerators, or otherperipheral devices.

As shown in FIG. 8, the device 800 includes a central processing unit(CPU) 822 in communication with a mass memory 830 via a bus 824. Thecomputing device 800 also includes one or more network interfaces 850,an audio interface 852, a display 854, a keypad 856, an illuminator 858,an input/output interface 860, a haptic interface 862, an optionalglobal positioning systems (GPS) receiver 864 and a camera(s) or otheroptical, thermal, or electromagnetic sensors 866. Device 800 can includeone camera/sensor 866 or a plurality of cameras/sensors 866. Thepositioning of the camera(s)/sensor(s) 866 on the device 800 can changeper device 800 model, per device 800 capabilities, and the like, or somecombination thereof.

In some embodiments, the CPU 822 may comprise a general-purpose CPU. TheCPU 822 may comprise a single-core or multiple-core CPU. The CPU 822 maycomprise a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or a similar embedded system. In someembodiments, a GPU may be used in place of, or in combination with, aCPU 822. Mass memory 830 may comprise a dynamic random-access memory(DRAM) device, a static random-access memory device (SRAM), or a Flash(e.g., NAND Flash) memory device. In some embodiments, mass memory 830may comprise a combination of such memory types. In one embodiment, thebus 824 may comprise a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe)bus. In some embodiments, the bus 824 may comprise multiple bussesinstead of a single bus.

Mass memory 830 illustrates another example of computer storage mediafor the storage of information such as computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules, or other data. Mass memory 830 storesa basic input/output system (“BIOS”) 840 for controlling the low-leveloperation of the computing device 800. The mass memory also stores anoperating system 841 for controlling the operation of the computingdevice 800.

Applications 842 may include computer-executable instructions which,when executed by the computing device 800, perform any of the methods(or portions of the methods) described previously in the description ofthe preceding Figures. In some embodiments, the software or programsimplementing the method embodiments can be read from a hard disk drive(not illustrated) and temporarily stored in RAM 832 by CPU 822. CPU 822may then read the software or data from RAM 832, process them, and storethem to RAM 832 again.

The computing device 800 may optionally communicate with a base station(not shown) or directly with another computing device. Network interface850 is sometimes known as a transceiver, transceiving device, or networkinterface card (NIC).

The audio interface 852 produces and receives audio signals such as thesound of a human voice. For example, the audio interface 852 may becoupled to a speaker and microphone (not shown) to enabletelecommunication with others or generate an audio acknowledgment forsome action. Display 854 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), gasplasma, light-emitting diode (LED), or any other type of display usedwith a computing device. Display 854 may also include a touch-sensitivescreen arranged to receive input from an object such as a stylus or adigit from a human hand.

Keypad 856 may comprise any input device arranged to receive input froma user. Illuminator 858 may provide a status indication or providelight.

The computing device 800 also comprises an input/output interface 860for communicating with external devices, using communicationtechnologies, such as USB, infrared, Bluetooth™, or the like. The hapticinterface 862 provides tactile feedback to a user of the client device.

The optional GPS transceiver 864 can determine the physical coordinatesof the computing device 800 on the surface of the Earth, which typicallyoutputs a location as latitude and longitude values. GPS transceiver 864can also employ other geo-positioning mechanisms, including, but notlimited to, triangulation, assisted GPS (AGPS), E-OTD, CI, SAI, ETA,BSS, or the like, to further determine the physical location of thecomputing device 800 on the surface of the Earth. In one embodiment,however, the computing device 800 may communicate through othercomponents, provide other information that may be employed to determinea physical location of the device, including, for example, a MACaddress, IP address, or the like.

The present disclosure has been described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which show, by wayof non-limiting illustration, certain example embodiments. Subjectmatter may, however, be embodied in a variety of different forms and,therefore, covered or claimed subject matter is intended to be construedas not being limited to any example embodiments set forth herein;example embodiments are provided merely to be illustrative. Likewise, areasonably broad scope for claimed or covered subject matter isintended. Among other things, for example, subject matter may beembodied as methods, devices, components, or systems. Accordingly,embodiments may, for example, take the form of hardware, software,firmware or any combination thereof (other than software per se). Thefollowing detailed description is, therefore, not intended to be takenin a limiting sense.

Throughout the specification and claims, terms may have nuanced meaningssuggested or implied in context beyond an explicitly stated meaning.Likewise, the phrase “in some embodiments” as used herein does notnecessarily refer to the same embodiment and the phrase “in anotherembodiment” as used herein does not necessarily refer to a differentembodiment. It is intended, for example, that claimed subject matterinclude combinations of example embodiments in whole or in part.

In general, terminology may be understood at least in part from usage incontext. For example, terms, such as “and”, “or”, or “and/or,” as usedherein may include a variety of meanings that may depend at least inpart upon the context in which such terms are used. Typically, “or” ifused to associate a list, such as A, B or C, is intended to mean A, B,and C, here used in the inclusive sense, as well as A, B or C, here usedin the exclusive sense. In addition, the term “one or more” as usedherein, depending at least in part upon context, may be used to describeany feature, structure, or characteristic in a singular sense or may beused to describe combinations of features, structures or characteristicsin a plural sense. Similarly, terms, such as “a,” “an,” or “the,” again,may be understood to convey a singular usage or to convey a pluralusage, depending at least in part upon context. In addition, the term“based on” may be understood as not necessarily intended to convey anexclusive set of factors and may, instead, allow for existence ofadditional factors not necessarily expressly described, again, dependingat least in part on context.

The present disclosure has been described with reference to blockdiagrams and operational illustrations of methods and devices. It isunderstood that each block of the block diagrams or operationalillustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams oroperational illustrations, can be implemented by means of analog ordigital hardware and computer program instructions. These computerprogram instructions can be provided to a processor of a general purposecomputer to alter its function as detailed herein, a special purposecomputer, ASIC, or other programmable data processing apparatus, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, implement thefunctions/acts specified in the block diagrams or operational block orblocks. In some alternate implementations, the functions/acts noted inthe blocks can occur out of the order noted in the operationalillustrations. For example, two blocks shown in succession can in factbe executed substantially concurrently or the blocks can sometimes beexecuted in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/actsinvolved.

For the purposes of this disclosure, a non-transitory computer readablemedium (or computer-readable storage medium/media) stores computer data,which data can include computer program code (or computer-executableinstructions) that is executable by a computer, in machine readableform. By way of example, and not limitation, a computer readable mediummay comprise computer readable storage media, for tangible or fixedstorage of data, or communication media for transient interpretation ofcode-containing signals. Computer readable storage media, as usedherein, refers to physical or tangible storage (as opposed to signals)and includes without limitation volatile and non-volatile, removable andnon-removable media implemented in any method or technology for thetangible storage of information such as computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules or other data. Computer readablestorage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM,flash memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, DVD, orother optical storage, cloud storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape,magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any otherphysical or material medium which can be used to tangibly store thedesired information or data or instructions and which can be accessed bya computer or processor.

To the extent the aforementioned implementations collect, store, oremploy personal information of individuals, groups, or other entities,it should be understood that such information shall be used inaccordance with all applicable laws concerning the protection ofpersonal information. Additionally, the collection, storage, and use ofsuch information can be subject to the consent of the individual to suchactivity, for example, through well known “opt-in” or “opt-out”processes as can be appropriate for the situation and type ofinformation. Storage and use of personal information can be in anappropriately secure manner reflective of the type of information, forexample, through various access control, encryption, and anonymizationtechniques (for especially sensitive information).

In the preceding specification, various example embodiments have beendescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it willbe evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto,and additional embodiments may be implemented without departing from thebroader scope of the disclosed embodiments as set forth in the claimsthat follow. The specification and drawings are accordingly to beregarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: tracking, by a corecomponent of a fifth-generation (5G) network, network data consumptionof an account of a subscriber in connection with a 5G session of thesubscriber, wherein the tracking is based on a data counter that has alimit based on data consumption details; making, by the core componentof the 5G network, a fallback session determination to institute afallback session, the fallback session corresponding to offloading thesubscriber from the 5G network to a fourth-generation (4G) network;causing, by the core component of the 5G network, a core component ofthe 4G network to provide 4G network connectivity to the subscriber inaccordance with the fallback session determination; and monitoring, bythe core component of the 5G network, 4G data consumed by the subscriberin accordance with the network consumption counter.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the fallback session determination to institute afallback session is based on the tracking of the data consumptiondetails of the subscriber.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein thefallback session determination to institute a fallback session is basedon 5G connectivity becoming unavailable to the subscriber.
 4. The methodof claim 1, wherein the core component of the 5G network is a chargingfunction (CHF) and the core component of the 4G network is a DiameterRouting Agent/Subscriber Location Function (DRA/SLF).
 5. The method ofclaim 4, wherein the DRA/SLF implements diameter signaling of receiveddata from at least one other core component of the 4G network, andcommunicates with the CHF based on the received data and diametersignaling.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, bythe core component of the 5G network, from a policy control function(PCF) a request for 5G consumption limit details for the subscriber; andproviding, by the core component of the 5G network, to the PCF, therequested 5G consumption limit details for the subscriber.
 7. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the core component of the5G network, from the core component of the 4G network, a request for 4Gconsumption limit details for the subscriber; and providing, by the corecomponent of the 5G network, to the core component of the 4G network,the requested 4G consumption limit details for the subscriber, whereinthe core component of the 4G network sends the 4G consumption limitdetails to a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) of the 4Gnetwork.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein a 4G session request is basedon the fallback session determination.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereina 4G session request is performed at a time proximate to creation of the5G session.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the data counter isconfigured with individualized data storage structures for dataconsumption tracking of the 5G data and the 4G data, with a sharedcounter.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the data counter isconfigured with a shared data storage structure for data consumptiontracking of the 5G data and the 4G data, with a shared counter.
 12. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: determining that the dataconsumption limit of the data counter has reached its maximum levelbased on the 5G and 4G data of the subscriber; and deprioritizingnetwork speed of the subscriber based on the maximum leveldetermination.
 13. A device comprising: a processor configured to:track, by a core component of a fifth-generation (5G) network, networkdata consumption of an account of a subscriber in connection with a 5Gsession of the subscriber, wherein the tracking is based on a datacounter that has a limit based on data consumption details; make, by thecore component of the 5G network, a fallback session determination toinstitute a fallback session, the fallback session corresponding tooffloading the subscriber from the 5G network to a fourth-generation(4G) network; cause, by the core component of the 5G, a core componentof the 4G network to provide 4G network connectivity to the subscriberin accordance with the fallback session determination; and monitor, bythe core component of the 5G network, 4G data consumed by the subscriberin accordance with the network consumption counter.
 14. The device ofclaim 13, wherein the fallback session determination to institute afallback session is based on the tracking of the data consumptiondetails of the subscriber.
 15. The device of claim 13, wherein thefallback session determination to institute a fallback session is basedon 5G connectivity becoming unavailable to the subscriber.
 16. Thedevice of claim 13, wherein the core component of the 5G network is acharging function (CHF) and the core component of the 4G network is aDiameter Routing Agent/Subscriber Location Function (DRA/SLF).
 17. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium tangibly encoded withinstructions, that when executed by a processor, perform a methodcomprising: tracking, by a core component of a fifth-generation (5G)network, network data consumption of an account of a subscriber inconnection with a 5G session of the subscriber, wherein the tracking isbased on a data counter that has a limit based on data consumptiondetails; making, by the core component of the 5G network, a fallbacksession determination to institute a fallback session, the fallbacksession corresponding to offloading the subscriber from the 5G networkto a fourth-generation (4G) network; causing, by the core component ofthe 5G network, a core component of the 4G network to provide 4G networkconnectivity to the subscriber in accordance with the fallback sessiondetermination; and monitoring, by the core component of the 5G network,4G data consumed by the subscriber in accordance with the networkconsumption counter.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 17, wherein the fallback session determination to institute afallback session is based on the tracking of the data consumptiondetails of the subscriber.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 17, wherein the fallback session determination toinstitute a fallback session is based on 5G connectivity becomingunavailable to the subscriber.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 17, wherein the core component of the 5G network is acharging function (CHF) and the core component of the 4G network corecomponent is a Diameter Routing Agent/Subscriber Location Function(DRA/SLF).